2012 - Fort Hays State University

DISPATCH
NEWS FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS
Fort Hays State University
From the Chair
Volume 27
Spring 2012
-- Dr. John Greathouse
Now that we are halfway into the
academic year I am more convinced
than ever that time is passing by at
an increasingly rapid rate. Wasn’t it
just a few weeks ago that we started
the semester?
This is a perception experienced by
almost everyone as we become
immersed with activities associated
with busy careers, growing families,
and active lifestyles. The beginning
university student, and those who
near graduation in preparation for
entrance into the workforce, are no
exception.
Think back to the time when you
first came to Fort Hays. When
presented with the curriculum
requirements and credit hours
required to graduate, did you have
the feeling that it would take forever
to complete your degree? I’ll wager
that in looking back, you’ll realize
that time seems to have passed in the
blink of an eye. And what has
happened in your lives since then?
Just in this past year we have seen
significant growth in the number of
students within the department.
Current enrollment statistics show
there are 240 majors. The largest
increase occurred in the agricultural
business program which now exceeds
100 students. The beef cattle man-
Inside This Issue
New Faculty & Staff ...................... 2
Student Honors .............................. 3
Judging Team News ...................... 4
agement program continues to grow,
as well, and enrollment in our
remaining programs remains relatively stable.
Programmatically, our vacant
agricultural business faculty position
permanently was filled with the
hiring of Dr. Craig Smith. His
instructional responsibilities include
core marketing and capstone classes
in the curriculum. He also has
developed a new course focused on the
evaluation of new technologies
available to the agricultural industry.
Precision agriculture applications are
emphasized in this class and examination of the economic viability of this
technology is a critical component of
Dr. Smith’s research interests.
By the time you gain access to this
newsletter, a change will have been
made in oversight of the university
beef cattle operation. After more than
30 years of a very successful career as
beef division manager at the University Farm, Gary Rolland made a
decision to retire early and pursue
other professional and personal
interests.
Brady Richards has been hired to
fill the vacant beef division manager
position. Brady is an Oberlin, KS
native who has a diverse background of experience in the beef
industry. He will be working directly with Mick Glaze who has
assumed responsibility for the
coordination of operational and
instructional activities at the beef
division. Mick also has taken the
role of facilitator for the
department’s Beef Cattle Management program.
We have a number of activities
taking place within the department
and we are anxious to share some of
these with you through this edition
of our departmental newsletter.
Please feel free to contact us at
any time if you would like to visit. I
wish you the best for the upcoming
year!
Habitat for Humanity
Twenty students in the Home
Horticulture course at Fort Hays State
University participated in a Habitat for
Humanity service-learning project.
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit,
ecumenical Christian housing organization building simple, decent, affordable
housing in partnership with people in
need. Service-learning is a method of
teaching and learning that integrates
community service activities into
academic curricula and expands the
learning of students from the classroom to the community.
Students in the Home
Horticulture class plant a
tree at a Habitat for
Humanity home in Hays.
(Photo courtesy of
Raymond Hillegas – Hays
Daily News)
Swine Show Team ..................... 4-5
Student Club News ................... 5-7
Agriculture Practicum ............ 8-11
College Dean’s Message ........... 12
—see Habitat - page 2
Spring 2012
Department News
Page 2
New Faculty -- Dr. Craig Smith
Craig Smith
became the
newest faculty
member last
fall as an
Assistant
Professor of
Agricultural
Business.
Craig grew up
in rural southcentral Kansas, near Yoder, and
spent much of his time working on
the farm and construction. He holds
a B.S. in Agricultural Technology
Management (2003), an M.S. in
Agricultural Economics (2004), and
a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics
(2011) - all from Kansas State
University. During the time period
between finishing his Master’s and
beginning work on his Ph.D., Craig
worked as an Agricultural and
Natural Resource Engineering
Specialist in northwest Missouri for
MU Extension and as an Extension
Watershed Economist for K-State.
Craig teaches courses in agricultural marketing, understanding and
utilizing agricultural technologies,
advanced farm management, and
quantitative methods of analysis for
decision-making. He serves as a coadvisor to the Agribusiness Club at
FHSU.
Much of Craig’s research activities
and interests are related to the
economics of precision agricultural
technologies, farm machinery
economics, and analyzing water
resource issues (both quality and
quantity) from an economic perspective.
Outside of work, Craig spends
much of his time and energy with
his family. Craig and his wife, Cari,
Habitat
New Staff -- Mr. Brady Richards
Brady
Richards
assumed the
role as manager of the
Beef Cattle
Division on the
University
Farm this past
fall. Brady is a
native of
Oberlin, KS where he and his father
were actively involved in various
facets of the beef cattle industry. In
addition to working on the family
farm and livestock operation, he
live on a small farm about 16 miles
southwest of Hays. Cari was originally raised on a farm in southeastern Colorado (Fowler) and is now a
registered dental hygienist working
part-time in Hays. They currently
have two boys, Jett (3 yrs. old) and
Colt (15 mos. old), with another one
on the way (sometime in February
2012)! The boys are loving life in the
country, and Jett is likely to wander
just about anywhere on his little
battery-powered John Deere tractor
and two dogs by his side!
Craig’s other interests include:
church, sports, remodeling houses,
and pretty much any and all farm
and construction work. The students
in his classes would probably add
“Excel Spreadsheets” to the list, as
Craig is often heard saying that Excel
is the single, most important tool for
agribusiness professionals to learn!
worked for Decatur County Feed
Yard.
After graduation from Colby
Community College and Kansas State
University, Brady was employed as a
firefighter and EMT for the City of
Great Bend. He eventually transferred to Hays as an EMT with the
Ellis County EMS. Most recently,
Brady served as a police officer with
the FHSU Police Department.
Brady’s wife, Jamie, works for
Hays Medical Center. They have two
children, Owen and Lyla, who help
Brady with his part-time saddle and
tack business.
from page 1
Students planted trees, ornamental
grasses and shrubs at two homes on
East 17th in Hays. The students
installed landscape edging and
finished the beds with river rock.
Assistance for the low-maintenance
design and plant selection was
provided by Susan Eaton, a FHSU
Grounds and Biological Sciences
Department employee.
Funding was provided by a
Kansas Department of Health and
Environment WaterLink grant
applied for by Stacie Minson, Kansas
State University watershed specialist.
Ag Department Faculty & Staff Information
Department of Agriculture
212 Albertson Hall
Phone: (785) 628-4196
FAX: (785) 628-4183
[email protected]
www.fhsu.edu/agriculture
Dr. Garry Brower - Animal Science
Mr. Brady Richards - Beef Manager
Mr. Buddy Curry - Livestock Judging Coach
Ms. Melissa Rudell - Administrative Assistant
Ms. Stephanie Eckroat - Dairy Manager
Mr. Bronc Rumford- Rodeo Coach
Mr. Mick Glaze - Agricultural Business
Mr. Ross Russell - Asst. Rodeo Coach
Dr. Jean Gleichsner - Crops and Soils
Dr. Craig Smith - Agricultural Business
Dr. John Greathouse - Animal Science
Dr. Robert Stephenson - Crops and Soils
Dr. Brittany Howell - Animal Science
Ms. Shelly Vandiver - Asst. Dairy Manager
Mr. Brian Lockman - Swine Manager
Mr. Harland Werth - Crop/Shop Manager
DISPATCH is now available online at: www.fhsu.edu/agriculture/newsletter
Student Honors
Spring 2012
Agriculture Scholarships
Departmental scholarships were
awarded this year to freshmen,
transfers, and continuing students
majoring in agriculture. Scholarship
recipients were selected on the basis
of academic achievement and
interest in agriculture.
Congratulations to each
scholarship recipient, and a special
thank you to the scholarship
sponsors.
Ark River Bend Chapter, Soil
and Water Conservation Society
Travis Panek – Cunningham
Base Camp Leasing
Candee VonLehe – Ness City
Department of Agriculture
Endowed
Chandra Devine – Seward
Edward and Carolyn Scanlon
Fund
Nathan Felder – Brownell
William Poland – Ellis
Curtis Satran – Ogallah
Cole Werner – Plainville
Lindsey Wilson – Colby
Kirk Woodruff – Ashland
High Plains Farm Credit
Aaron Roach – St. John
Kyle Zimmerman – Schoenchen
Kansas Farm Bureau
Bruce Figger – Hudson
Audrey Werth – Hays
Midland Marketing
Audrey Werth – Hays
Kyle Zimmerman – Schoenchen
Kansas Farm Credit
Curtis Satran – Ogallah
Norvan and Dorothy Harris
Endowed
Cassadie Copeland – Ford
Alisha Markle – Rozel
Erik Pracht – Council Grove
Roemer Family
Jared Cook – Gove
Benjamin Eilert – Quinter
Samantha Tenpenny – Topeka
Anthony R. Legleiter Memorial
Ashley Montgomery – Hays
Bill and Deniece Roth Family
Ryan Hoffman – Hoisington
Charles and Lura Stuzman
Memorial
Erik Pracht – Council Grove
Bruce Figger – Hudson
Herbert L. Fought Fund
Joseph Aker – Abilene
Samuel Carlson – Lindsborg
Tayla Cannella – Calhan, CO
Cassadie Copeland – Ford
Jennifer Daffer – Danbury, NE
Amber Elrod – Colorado Springs, CO
John Godsey – Gaylord
Lincoln Griffin – Natoma
Ryan Hoffman – Hoisington
Kayla Jarvis – Phillipsburg
Garrett Kahrs – Franklin, NE
Brittany Kammer – Brewster
Rachel Klein – Fort Collins, CO
Riley Klitzke – Ransom
Dylan Kuhn – Victoria
Rebekah Martin – Hastings, NE
Macy McCurry – Burrton
Jade Meinzer – Yoder, CO
Erin Montgomery – Guide Rock, NE
Katey Nash – Cimarron
Jay Ostmeyer – Oakley
Travis Panek – Cunningham
Paige Rebman – Republican City, NE
Jared Reiman – Lawrence, NE
Cody Scheck – Victoria
Cammie Schmidtberger – Victoria
Randy Sheffield – Farnam, NE
Tye Smith – Bartley, NE
Aranda Stolz – Burlington, CO
Luke Terrell – Kirk, CO
Lane Underwood – Esbon
Courtney Urbanec – Pender, NE
David Welch – Garfield
Clifford and Rebecca Shauf
Foundation
Chandra Devine – Seward
Bo Ferrell – Rolla
Madison Holland – Lacygne
Corey Moomaw – Dighton
Cole Pearson – Clearwater
Luke Schroeder – Colby
Samantha Tenpenny – Topeka
Candee VonLehe – Ness City
Gross Family
Bryn Benoit – Damar
Carl and Caroline Wheeler Book/
Grassland Study
Jacob Fanshier – St. John
R. Guy Bemis Memorial
Jacob Fanshier – St. John
Paul W. Boxberger Memorial
Jay Ostmeyer – Oakley
Ag Credit
Curtis Satran – Ogallah
Lindsey Wilson – Colby
Page 3
Dean’s Honor Roll
To qualify for the Dean’s Honor
Roll at FHSU a student must
complete 12 or more credit hours
with a GPA for that academic term
of at least 3.6.
Congratulations to the following
agriculture and agricultural business majors for obtaining such an
honor.
Spring 2011
Bryce Allen – Argonia
Kelsey Bonifas – Blue Hill, NE
Jared Cook – Gove
Bruce Figger – Hudson
Amber Friedrichs – Bremen
Anna Friedrichs – Bremen
Jeremy Hacker – Wilson
Garrett Kahrs – Franklin, NE
Travis Kuhn – Clarks, NE
Corey Moomaw – Dighton
Erik Pracht – Council Grove
Paige Rebman – Republican City, NE
Christine Roehrman – Dodge City
Samantha Tenpenny – Topeka
Courtney Urbanec – Pender, NE
Andrew Wiechman – Scott City
Lindsey Wilson – Colby
Eric Woodside – Prairie View
Kyle Zimmerman – Schoenchen
Fall 2011
Joseph Acker – Abilene
Chandra Devine – Seward
Amber Elrod – Hays
Nathan Felder – Brownell
Bruce Figger – Hudson
Hannah Gates – Yuma, CO
Jeremy Hacker – Wilson
Jared Helfrich – Wright
Stephen Hornung – Stratton, CO
Kayla Jarvis – Phillipsburg
Katelyn Keller – Ellis
Ashley Montgomery – Hays
Corey Moomaw – Dighton
William Poland – Ellis
Erik Pracht – Council Grove
Aaron Roach – St. John
Curtis Satran – Ogallah
Cody Scheck – Victoria
Cammie Schmidtberger – Victoria
Emily Schneweis – Dodge City
Katherine Turner – Larned
Candee Vonlehe – Ness City
Lindsey Wilson – Colby
Lauren Wright – Hays
Kyle Zimmerman – Schoenchen
Spring 2012
Student News
Livestock Judging Team
-- Mr. Buddy Curry
The 2011 Senior Livestock Team
traveled to the National Western,
Fort Worth, Nebraska Cattlemen’s
Classic, Dixieland Beef Judging
Contest, Houston, Flint Hills Classic,
Mid-America Judging Contest,
American Royal livestock judging
contests, and the Colorado State
University Mock Contest. The team
represented Fort Hays State University very well in their performances
and were in the top ten at Dixie, Fort
Worth and Nebraska Cattleman’s
contests.
The 2012 Senior Team will be
traveling to the National Western,
Page 4
Fort Worth, Dixieland Nationals,
Nebraska Cattleman’s Classic, National Barrow, Houston Livestock
Show and Rodeo, NACTA, Flint Hills
Classic, Mid-America, American
Royal, and NAILE livestock judging
contests and the Colorado State
University Mock Contest.
2011 Senior Livestock Judging Team
-- Front Row (L to R): Jake Renner
(Pratt) and Stephen McIntyre (Elbert,
CO). Back Row (L to R): Evan Schluntz
(Republican City, NE), Grady McMahon
(Ayr, NE), Dani Kirby (Cimmaron) and
Joseph Penning (Atchinson). Not
pictured: Sara Fox (Stratton, CO), Travis
Panek (Cunningham) and Buddy Curry,
Coach.
2012 Senior Livestock Judging Team
-- Front Row (L to R): Vanessa Bentley
(Miller, NE), Kilee Hutchinson (Lakin,
KS), and Aranda Stolz (Burlington, CO).
Back Row (L to R): Cassadie Copeland
(Ford), Jake Duncan (Phillipsburg) and
Frank Ringleman (Imperial, NE). Not
shown: Buddy Curry, Coach.
Swine Show Team
-- Mr. Brian Lockman
The last year for the Fort Hays
State University Swine Show Team
was the most successful and continues to be the most exciting year we’ve
had. At the Southwest Type Conference we exhibited two Yorkshire gilts,
two Yorkshire boars and two crossbred boars. In this show everything
placed very well in their respective
classes. At the sale it was very
exciting because we had one of the
highest selling crossbred boars for
$7200 that sold to Southern Advantage Sires and Steve Cobb Family.
We attended the World Pork Expo
in Des Moines, IA. This is one of the
biggest shows in the United States
with people from all over the world
attending. There were exhibits, booths
and new innovative ideas that were
presented at the World Pork Expo
along with the show. The Show Team
did very well, winning Reserve
Champion Landrace boar and having
one of the highly talked about crossbred boars in the barn that sold for
$2500 to one of our own alumni, Val
Reiss of Reiss Livestock.
The first show we attended last fall
was the National Barrow Show in
Austin, MN where we took three
Yorkshire gilts, two Hampshire gilts,
and two Yorkshire boars. This was a
great trip and everyone bonded, had a
good time, and were successful showing and selling seven out of seven.
After returning, we geared up for the
Fall Classic in Oklahoma.
—see Swine Show Team - page 5
Spring 2012
Student News
Page 5
Rodeo Club -- Ms. Kara Hackney
The Fort Hays State University
Rodeo Club has been busy at home and
on the road as its competing team has
been traveling throughout the states of
Kansas and Oklahoma representing
the university at the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s rodeos. Four
rodeos into the season, the team has
six left before the College National
Finals Rodeo in June, which takes the
top cowboys and cowgirls in each of the
association’s 11 regions.
The team currently has one member
ranked in the Central Plains Region,
in which it competes. Cody Hamm,
freshman, is 11th in the saddle bronc
riding standings. Hamm, along with
his identical twin brother Ty, are the
first bronc riders that the team has
had in a few years.
Cody Hamm placed 4th at the
season’s opening rodeo in Colby and 9th
at the last fall rodeo in Alva, OK.
In September, the club assisted with
a cowboy-style working retreat for an
international delegation of managers
from Siemens Energy, Inc., at The
Oasis Ranch and Retreat in Plevna.
There, club members met people from
all across the world and introduced
them to the western way of life.
Rodeo club members took on a
variety of jobs at the retreat, including
team leaders, event judges, ranch
rodeo contestants and the announcer.
“I enjoyed showing them how to do
various things and being competitive
against the other teams,” said Dakota
Milner, junior, who was a team leader.
“I learned that what I take for granted,
other people wish they could do, too,
and they find it very interesting.”
The club has also participated in
community service and fundraiser
events this semester.
Bronc Rumford, head rodeo coach,
was chosen for his first-ever job as the
timed-event chute boss of the Wrangler
National Finals Rodeo, the “Superbowl
of Rodeo,” December 1-10 in Las Vegas,
NV.
As chute boss, Rumford was in
charge of all the calves and steers and
the execution of all four timed events
at the biggest and highest-paying rodeo
in America.
“The thing that I most look
forward to is the honor of having
any position at the Wrangler
National Finals Rodeo,” Rumford
said. “Just to be considered and
chosen for a position at that level is
quite an honor. When you get to
work and be around that caliber
and that level of competitors -you're working with the absolute
best in rodeo -- there's so much you
can learn. Then I have the ability to
pass that knowledge and information on to students at FHSU. The
NFR is the best rodeo there is, bar
none.”
Also in Las Vegas, Kara Hackney,
junior and rodeo club president, sang
the national anthem at the Miss
Rodeo America horsemanship competition on December 5.
This year will mark the 46th
annual FHSU rodeo, which will be
April 20-22.
The club is currently working to
raise money and gain sponsorship for
its rodeo. If interested in doing so,
contact Rumford at 785-628-4689 or email him at [email protected]; or
Ross Russell, assistant coach, at 785628-4689 or e-mail him at
[email protected].
2011-2012 Rodeo Club Officers (L to R): Lacey Ward (Superior, NE), Treasurer;
Samantha Tenpenney (Topeka), Historian; Kylena Hager (Hoxie), Vice-President;
and Kara Hackney (Hays), President. Not Shown Bronc Rumford, Coach and Ross
Russell, Assistant Coach.
Swine Show Team
from page 4
2011-2012 Swine Show Team -- Front Row (L to R): Jake Renner (Pratt), Tayla
Cannella (Calhan, CO), Kate Huschka (Garden City) and Mr. Brian Lockman,
Coach. Back Row (L to R): Kirk Woodruff (Ashland), Matt Railsback (Osage
City), and Joe Penning (Atchinson). Not shown: Erik Pracht (Council Grove) and
Rebekah Martin (Hastings, NE).
Student News
Spring 2012
Agronomy Club
Page 6
-- Dr. Bob Stephenson
The Agronomy Club has been busy
this year and have several activities
planned for the spring 2012 semester.
In October the club entered the
annual FHSU Homecoming Banner
Contest. They held a fund raiser at
the mall in Hays during the
children’s Malloween event. Members
toured the Kansas Underground Salt
Museum and Kaufman Seed Company
in Hutchinson.
The club teamed up with DTA
(Agricultural Honor Society) this fall
for their annual Adopt-a-Mile highway
cleanup. They will be helping the KState Research and Extension Service
clean up a park area in Hays. Members helped with Toys for Tots in
December and they rang the bell for
the Salvation Army as community
service projects. They sponsored an
informational night and had the
NRCS (Natural Resources and
Conservation Service) talk about
2011-2012 Agronomy Club Officers (L to R): Tyler Sauvage (Oberlin), VicePresident; Courtney Schweizer (Valley Center), President; Jerdan Schweizer
(Langdon), Treasurer; Ashley Montgomery (Hays), Secretary; and Dr. Bob
Stephenson, Advisor.
internships and career opportunities
with the agency.
In January the club attended the
Cover Your Acres Conference in
Oberlin. The club will be helping with
the annual Big Creek cleanup in the
spring and will have another highway
cleanup event with DTA. The club
also has fun and is planning a
putt-putt event, they will be going
bowling, and will have a barbecue
in the spring. The club ordered
shirts to help identify the hard
working members.
Block & Bridle Club -- Dr. Brittany Howell
The 2010-2011 school year was full
of activity again for the FHSU Block
and Bridle Club. The 2010-2011
officers were President, Kyla Bishop,
Vice President, Amelia Nickelson,
Secretary, Candice Wagstrom and
Treasurer, Katie Sharp.
The year’s activities included
serving food for the annual FHSU
Back to School Picnic, assisting with
the Northwest District FFA Dairy
Judging Contest, providing demonstrations and information for children at Ag Awareness Day and
helping the Rodeo Club during the
FHSU Rodeo. We also had fun
creating a float for the Homecoming
parade and successfully sold a
‘thought provoking’ T-shirt at
Oktoberfest.
Block and Bridle again hosted
their Little International competition
in the fall on November 13th. Fun
and competition for all, with
Kasandra Huser, a sophomore and
daughter of alumni Kevin and Kathy
Huser, winning the Overall Showman buckle for the second year.
Little I Chairpersons in 2010 were
Stephen McIntyre and Brad
Talkington. We really appreciate the
participation and support that our
alumni gives us as we continue the
Little I tradition, particularly Kevin
and Kathy Huser for providing the
beef heifers and Leonard & Toni
Bristow and Kirk & Colleen
Dickinson for providing lambs.
A big highlight is always attending
the National Block and Bridle Convention, which was held in Lansing,
Michigan on October 14-17, 2010.
Traveling north was an unusual
direction for the convention, but it
allowed the club to experience
agriculture in a state they were very
unfamiliar with. Tours included
operations such as Northville Downs
race track, a fruit orchard, a turkey
farm, a specialty cheese operation,
Green Meadow Farms Dairy,
Zeilinger Wool Company and many
unique restaurants and shops. A
part of this convention was the
unique opportunity to attend the
largest draft horse show in the
United States, the Michigan Great
Lakes International Draft Horse
Show and Pull.
2011-2012 Block & Bridle Club Officers (L to R): Dr. Brittany Howell, Advisor;
Jennifer Meyers (Wichita), Vice-President; Kate Kuschka, (Garden City), President; and William Poland (Ellis), Secretary/Treasurer.
Spring 2012
Student News
Page 7
Delta Tau Alpha - Agriculture Honor Society
Over the past year, Delta Tau Alpha
(DTA) has been very active both onand off-campus. The chapter participated in a variety of activities including: the Adopt-A-Highway Program,
Homecoming Banner Contest, and
Christmas Angel Tree.
Last spring the chapter held the
18th annual Ag Quiz Bowl. Participating teams tested their knowledge in
the areas of agribusiness/economics,
agronomy/horticulture, animal
science, and general agriculture
knowledge. The team of Amber
2011-2012 DTA Club Officers (L to R): Dr. Jean Gleichsner, Advisor; Courtney
Urbanec (Pender, NE), Secretary; Erin Montgomery (Guide Rock, NE), President;
Alisha Markle (Rozel), Vice-President; and Rebekah Martin (Hastings, NE),
Treasurer.
-- Dr. Jean Gleichsner
Friedrichs (Bremen), Anna Friedrichs
(Bremen) and Andrew Wiechman
(Scott City) was victorious.
The DTA chapter attended the 52nd
National DTA Convention held in the
spring at Middle Tennessee State
University in Murfreesboro, TN.
Attendees toured Stone’s River National Battlefield, and the Tennessee
Walking Horse National Celebration
Grounds. They were entertained by a
trip down the Cumberland River on
the General Jackson Showboat. The
chapter competed in Ag Olympics, Ag
Quiz Bowl and the Corbus Book
Competition - a book of the chapter’s
activities. Our chapter received
honorable mention in the Corbus Book
Competition and received a plaque
with an accompanying $50 award.
Dr. Jean Gleichsner has served as
National Advisor in this role since
spring 2003.
Agribusiness Club -- Mr. Mick Glaze and Dr. Craig Smith
This year the Agribusiness Club
expanded its opportunities to other
members of the Agriculture Department. Currently, the club has 19
active members. The club’s purpose is
to educate, promote, and actively
support the agricultural industry.
The club is active in the Hays
community. Each member works to
achieve 5 hours of community service
toward our goal of 100 hours of
community service for the whole club.
Many members do community service
hours on their own time, but we have
also done several community service
hours as a club. In the last few years
the club has picked up trash along
the highway, played bingo with a
local nursing home, and helped at
Carrico Implement events held
through the holiday time. This year
many club members volunteered at
St. Jude’s Up Til’ Dawn fundraiser.
By participating in service projects
throughout the year, members
transform from college students to
active members in their communities.
Everyone is encouraged to participate
in club activities to build strong skills
in leadership and teamwork.
In spring 2011, the club took two
different trips touring agricultural
based businesses in southwestern
Kansas. The club visited with potential employers and other successful
agricultural companies. Businesses
visited include Roto-Mix, Forget-MeNot Farms, Blattner Feedlot Construction, Montezuma Flour Mill,
Bert & Wetta Alfalfa, Ward Feed
Yard, FPL Windmill Farms, and R &
P calf farm. This was a great way for
club members to network with
agricultural companies and see how
many businesses are successful.
Last year, the club had guest
speakers come to meetings and speak
about potential job opportunities or
internships which can be very
beneficial. Guest speakers last year
included Ag Valley Cooperative,
NRCS, and various other speakers.
This year the club invited Jeff
McReynolds to talk about commodity
brokering and McReynolds Marketing
and Investing business at their
November meeting. The club plans on
having guest speakers come to future
meetings.
2011-2012 Agribusiness Club Officers (L to R): Sara Winkel (Glen Elder),
Secretary; Lindsey Wilson (Colby), Vice-President; Elizabeth Koch (Abilene), President; Eric Woodside (Prairie View), Treasurer; Mr. Mick Glaze, Co-Advisor; and Dr.
Craig Smith, Co-Advisor.
Spring 2012
Student News
Agriculture Management Practicum
AGRI 316 – Agriculture Management Practicum is a course in which
students participate in a supervised
agricultural “internship” experience. A
majority of our students enroll in the
Practicum course during the summer
semester with positions that typically
offer full-time employment opportunities. Other students obtain part- or
full-time employment positions during
Page 8
-- Dr. John Greathouse
the fall or spring academic terms
and complete the Practicum during
the traditional school year. The
experiences typically are mutually
beneficial to the cooperating employer, who may be seeking an
individual to train for future employment needs, and to the students who
gain valuable experience working in
a chosen career field.
We welcome the interest and
support of the cooperators and agencies
who employ our Practicum students.
Students and their respective employers who participated in a 2011 summer Practicum experience are pictured
on the next several pages. Not pictured
is Mark Juenemann who interned
with Adam Ryan with L&R Ranch in
Menlo, KS).
Se
Cortney Jeffery assisted with office operations for
Cargill Inc. out of Maynard, MN. She is pictured
(left) with her supervisor Rebecca Urlacher.
Jared Cook field scouted for Crop Quest out of Garden City, KS.
He is pictured (left) with his supervisor Eric Konrade.
Amanda Brungardt (left) was supervised by Todd
Ostmeyer at the Radke Implement equipment
dealership south of Russell, KS.
Ashley Montgomery (left) was employed with NRCS as a
conservation assistant in Washington, KS. She is pictured with
her supervisor, Dee Minge.
—see Practicum - page 9
Spring 2012
Student News
Page 9
Practicum
from page 8
Travis Kuhn (middle) worked with Jesse (left) and Arden (right)
Oleen at Oleen Brothers Ranch in Dwight, KS.
Logan Flower assisted with cattle and farming
operations at Hrabe Farms in Stockton, KS.
Logan is pictured (right) with his supervisor
Dean Hrabe.
Cody Simmons interned as a fabrication floor production supervisor for Cargill Meat Solutions out of
Schuyler, NE. Cody (right) is pictured with his internship supervisor J. T. Hopkins.
Kylena Hager (right) interned at the Lazy E. Quarter Horse
racing and breeding facility out of Guthrie, OK. She is
pictured with her supervisor Christina Quintiliani-Wuchner.
Kilee Hutchison (left) interned for
JBS Five Rivers Feedyard in Lamar,
CO. Her supervisor was J. T. Whitted.
Madison Holland worked for DeBruce Grain as a merchandising intern in
Abilene, KS. She is pictured (left) with her supervisor Nathan Jacobs.
—see Practicum - page 10
Spring 2012
Student News
Page 10
Practicum
from page 9
Chris Mader interned with Midland Marketing, Hays, KS,
out of their Toulon elevator facility. Chris (right) is pictured with his supervisor Adam Lay.
Brittany Kammer (right) worked as a regional agronomist
trainee in Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado with Winfield
Solutions (a division of Land-O-Lakes) out of St. Paul, MN.
She is pictured with her supervisor Mark Herz.
John Godsey (right) interned as a technical service/sales
associate with Osborne Industries in Osborne, KS. His
supervisor was Dallas Lehmann.
Bryn Benoit scouted crops and worked with customers at
Ag Valley Coop in Arapahoe, NE. Bryn (right) is pictured
with her supervisor, Eldon Kroemer.
Travis Panek interned near Sun City, KS as a ranch hand
for the Alexander Ranch. He is pictured with his supervisor Ted Alexander (right).
Corey Moomaw (left) worked as an agronomist scouting fields and making crop production recommendations for Crop Production Services in Garden City and
Dighton, KS. Corey is pictured with his supervisor
Steve Hoffman.
—see Practicum - page 11
Spring 2012
Student News
Page 11
Practicum
from page 10
Tyler Sauvage (left) pictured with his supervisor, J. J. Denny,
worked as a crop scout with Crop Production Services out of
Oakley, KS.
Chance Remington (left) interned as a central area
rover for Midland Marketing of Hays, KS. Chance’s
supervisor was Kevin Royer.
Courtney Schweizer (right) worked as a veterinary assistant
at the Kansas Humane Society in Wichita, KS. She is pictured
with her supervisor Dr. Michelle Townsley.
Christine Roehrman trained horses and helped
teach students at the Urban Riding Academy near
Dodge City, KS. She is pictured (left) with her
supervisor Sheila Urban.
Jordan Stroup (left) interned with the 4th largest
cattle ranch in the U.S., Lykes Brothers Ranch, in
Okeechobee, FL. He is pictured with is supervisor
Travis Brown.
Erin Montgomery worked as an officer manager assistant for
Maverick Feeders out of Dodge City, KS. She is pictured with
her supervisor Dawna Youngers (left).
Spring 2012
Department News
From the College Dean
It has
been an
exciting
and challenging fall
at Fort
Hays State
University
and the
college is
bursting
with
students!
The University continues to grow,
enrolling nearly 13,000 students
through on-campus, virtual college,
and international partnership programming. The College of Health and
Life Sciences has grown as well,
serving as home to nearly 1,900
majors across six departments and
multiple academic programs. This
growth is an important aspect of
Page 12
-- Dr. Jeff Briggs
institutional sustainability in times of
economic challenge across the state.
Recruitment continues to be a focus
and a significant challenge for all of
our programs is to increase our
retention and persistence rates. We
want to not only get students to
campus, we want them to continue in
their chosen academic programs and
earn a degree in a timely fashion.
Many retention initiatives have been
launched and we hope to see an
increase in student success.
In addition, student learning
outcomes is a central theme for our
academic units this year. It is important that we verify student learning
and assure that students develop the
skills necessary for success in the
varied professional positions they may
assume upon graduation. One of the
critical components to student success
has proven to be meaningful intern-
ship opportunities. I encourage
alumni and friends of the program to
assist the department in securing
meaningful experiences for our
students that extend beyond the
classroom. It takes the support of
faculty and staff, current students,
alumni, and other friends of the
program to continue to meet the
needs of our students and the region
that we serve.
As usual, thank you for your
continued support of our academic
programs. For regular updates on
accomplishments and activities
within the college, please consider
following the College of Health and
Life Sciences on Facebook at http://
www.fhsu.edu/chls/. Just click on the
Facebook link and become a fan.
Thank you all for your support of
the Department of Agriculture and
Fort Hays State University!
AGRICULTURE
600 Park Street
Hays, Kansas 67601-4099
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PAID
HAYS, KS
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